Exterior view of an Audemars Piguet exhibition.

The public exhibition Shaping Materials will be held from 3 to 16 June 2024 at Portrait Milano’s Piazza del Quadrilatero, in the heart of Milan. This immersive journey into the Manufacture’s universe pays tribute to the daring and innovative spirit that has driven generations of watchmakers and craftspeople to push new ideas forward and shape Audemars Piguet’s world.

Following the opening of the brand’s new AP House Milano in the former Garage Traversi building on Via Bagutta, the exhibition reinforces Audemars Piguet’s local ties with Milan, a city with which it shares a strong commitment to heritage, creativity and modernity.

Shaping Materials tells the story of Audemars Piguet’s relentless quest for creative techniques and designs, starting with materials and how they are transformed into watch components before being finished by skilled artisans. While some metals, such as gold and platinum, are intrinsically precious, other materials, such as steel, titanium, carbon and ceramic, have been made precious through the meticulous work of craftspeople.

The exhibition also highlights how the brand has forged its own path in terms of design form, often drawing inspiration from the wider cultural world as well as architectural and artistic movements. 

For more than a century, Audemars Piguet watch cases have been interpreted in different sizes, materials and shapes, using traditional round, square and rectangular geometries, alone or in conjunction with unexpected shapes such as trapezoids and octagons. Creativity knows no bounds as materials and form language combine with creative dials, colours and gemsetting techniques to give life to expressive designs that reflect the pioneering spirit that the Manufacture has preserved and nurtured through the generations.

Divided into five rooms, the exhibition will showcase a selection of heritage and contemporary timepieces, including some of the brand’s latest creations and a series of timepieces for the slenderest wrists that have marked the Manufacture’s history in terms of miniaturisation, design, material innovation or gemsetting.

 

The displays will be accompanied by edutainment content for total immersion and fun.

Dates
3 – 16 June 2024

Location
Piazza del Quadrilatero, Hotel Portrait, Corso Venezia, 11, 20121 Milano 

Opening hours
12 pm – 8 pm

Admission
Open to all, free of charge 

Registration
Please book your free ticket on this link to access the exhibition.

We are delighted to host the new brand exhibition "Shaping Materials" in Milan, sharing our savoir- faire and passion for Haute Horlogerie with watch lovers and novices alike. Its free-spirited exploration of materials and shapes, past and present, strongly resonates with the city of Milan – a centre of history, creativity and design. This exhibition also complements the opening of our new AP House Milano, located in the building of the former Garage Traversi on Via Bagutta, further strengthening the brand’s local ties with the city and the Italian market.

Ilaria Resta

Chief Executive Officer, Audemars Piguet